Devin Clark is concerned for Dequan Townsend's safety at UFC on ESPN+ 25

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Devin Clark believes Dequan Townsend made a critical error agreeing to fight him on short notice at UFC on ESPN+ 25.

Make no mistake, Clark (10-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) is grateful he got a replacement opponent in Townsend (21-9 MMA, 0-1 UFC) for Saturday’s card after Gadzhimurad Antigulov withdrew from the event. However, he thinks it’s an inadvisable matchup, and he intends on showing why inside the octagon.

“This is a really bad for him to take for a lot of reasons, including his safety and everything like that,” Clark told MMA Junkie at UFC on ESPN+ 25 media day on Thursday. “But fighters will be fighters, and they want to fight. They want that money or whatever, and I’m going to be the one that gives him the fight. He’s on a two-fight losing streak and he’s got a lot to prove. This could be one of his last fights in the UFC, and he definitely knows he needs a win.”

Clark said he put in a hard and diverse training camp for Antigulov, so he wasn’t overly stressed when the bout fell apart on less than two weeks’ notice. He feels prepared for any type of matchup, and said there’s nothing coming his way this weekend that would come as a surprise.

“This will be my ninth fight in the UFC, and I’ve kind of learned just to roll and go with the flow,” Clark said. “You never know what’s going to happen. Opponent change a week before? No problem. I’ve been training for a tough Dagestani wrestler, and with that, I had to be well-rounded with my game and fight up to my highest potential. With this new opponent, it’s kind of the same thing.”